Missing Something
by SlayerLove
Summary: After a hurtful exchange of words, Gatti disappears, leaving Dilandau wondering if he is the reason. But this disappearance is darker than a simple case of running away... DilandauxGatti yaoi, and I promise it'll be one of the most original DS fics ever!
1. Gone

**--M I S S I N G S O M E T H I N G--**

**Chapter 1 -- Gone**

By SlayerLove

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SL: I don't own the anime The Vision of Escaflowne, nor anything in it. I write these fics out of love for this beautiful creation, because when a writer is really infatuated with something they need to express that obsession somehow, and writing is their best (and most pleasurable to view) method. This fic is DilandauxGatti yaoi, and as far as I know it's quite original. Read on, and I really hope you enjoy it!

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Why did love have to be such a cruel thing? It toyed with the mind, the emotions. It batted people's hearts about like a cat torments a wounded bird, allowing it to live a little longer with the knowledge that it will never fly again. The words he'd said the night before seared through his mind even as his blazing eyes slid open. It was too early to forget how they'd hurt each other, Dilandau thought, turning and burying his face in the rumpled pillow once more. How Gatti had hurt him. He had never admitted to it, of course, for facades were part of who he was, but the captain's heart still stung from what his second-in-command had said several days before.

_"You think that you can just have me at your beck and call in my _sleep_, too? That just because I'm lower rank than you, I'm inferior as a person as well?" The blonde asked incredulously. This was't the response Dilandau had expected--he was really beginning to need Gatti, and as far as he knew his Dragon Slayer needed him, too, so why was moving into his quarters such an awful idea?_

_"Rank has nothing to do with this!" Dilandau retorted, irritated, "What's the matter with you? Don't you trust me?"_

_"Rank has _everything_ to do with it!" Gatti frowned in return, "You of all people should know the importance of rank, with how you tell me to do things all the time! Do you even realize how much of the time I spend with you is spent following orders? You say 'kiss me,' or 'stay here,' so I do! I don't want to move, but I guess since you're the captain that doesn't matter, does it?"_

_Now, that hurt. Was Gatti saying that the whole relationship was one-sided? That he only acted like he was in love because that's what Dilandau wanted him to do? What Dilandau _ordered_ him to do?_

_Seeing pain on the face of the reflection in his glass of wine, the silver-haired youth forced a scowl onto his face to hide it._

_"I understand why you can't let go of the rank idea now," he said coldly, standing. "Because to you this relationship is just another mission. Well, you know what? I'm _cancelling_ it. From now on, you can stay wherever the hell you want, and kiss whoever you damned well please, because apparently you _are_ inferior as a person." _Even I have a heart,_ he thought, feeling it squeeze in panic as he watched this beautiful thing they had come undone in the window of a few words, _Did he ever think I did all of this out of _love_? Does he think I'm just playing with him, because I'm higher rank so I can?

_He knew deep down that those last words had been unnecessary. The way Gatti set his jaw and whispered, "Yes, Sir," trying his hardest not to cry--it hurt more than anything else he could have said. Without another word, the blonde left the room...and left Dilandau to conceal tears of his own._

The captain's crimson eyes blurred with new tears at the memory. Gatti wasn't inferior to him as a person--he'd known it wasn't true even as he said it, but he had been angry, and anger encouraged spite like nothing else could. _I confirmed the question I was hurt he even asked,_ he thought, closing his eyes. _I told him it was over. Dammit, I _ended_ it, when he's the only person I've ever needed this much! _He wished he could find a way to let Gatti know that he didn't want it to be over--that he never had--but it was hard to take back such hurtful words, and moreso if they were given as an order. And besides, since they had had that conversation Gatti had been avoiding him. Since he was messenger, the blonde couldn't help but see Dilandau every day, but his sky blue eyes never held anything but a solid concentration on the task at hand, which usually consisted of reading the daily messages and scribing their replies. After that he would always leave promptly to deliver the reply messages--a conveniant excuse to avoid any informal conversation.

The other Dragon Slayers knew Dilandau and Gatti had been in a relationship, but carefully kept the subject from coming up. Dilandau figured they didn't want to risk his wrath if he didn't like them talking about it. Not that any of that mattered now--now they had nothing to keep from mentioning, anyway, because it was over.

A timid knock on the door to his quarters drew Dilandau back from his thoughts. If that was Gatti, he was knocking much more hesitantly today...what could that mean? Sitting up, the albino captain forced himself to crawl out of bed, dash away the tears in his eyes and run a hand through his mussed-up hair. Nothing but the tears mattered, anyhow--Gatti had seen him on his most miserable days, and he'd looked far worse then than now. The knock came again, a bit louder than the last. Crossing the room to sit at his desk as if he'd been up already, Dilandau placed a careful frown on his face to hide the unhappiness and called in the most annoyed tone he could muster, "Come _in_ already!"

The door opened very hesitantly, and a pair of big blue eyes peered in at him. Inwardly, Dilandau sighed. _It's just Shesta._

He gave the boy a particularly impatient look. "_Come in_, I said."

Unhappily, the short blonde did so, closing the door behind him and staring down at his toes--he was barefooted and dressed in soft-looking orange pajamas rather than the Dragon Slayer uniform. "I'm sorry, Lord Dilandau, for disturbing you..."

Waving away the apology, Dilandau asked pointedly, "And _why_ are you here disturbing me? You're not supposed to even be awake for another hour and a half." Perhaps, the pale youth thought, he wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep last night. Gatti always got up earlier than most everyone else, so this conversation only reminded Dilandau more of him.

"I know," Shesta answered, sounding very small. He stared down at his hands, which clung to each other clasped in front of him as if for support, while he spoke. "I-I woke up an hour ago...th-the whole barracks was very cold--the air in there, I mean. I tried to go back to sleep, but it wouldn't work..."

"So you came to pester _me_?" Dilandau scowled--he was really tired and sad, and in no mood to get angry with anyone, but there was no reason to let Shesta know that he was actually almost glad for the company. _I wouldn't usually accept this situation, and I can't have them thinking there's something _wrong_ with me just because...there is._ He sighed, but Shesta didn't seem to notice.

"N-no, Sir...I would never bother you with my personal concerns..." The blonde took a shakily little breath, and announced at last, "Gatti's gone."

"What?" Dilandau asked sharply, caught by surprise. _Gone? Maybe he's off doing his messenger rounds--it's about the right time of day..._

"G-Gatti's gone," Shesta repeated, looking frightened by his own words. "H-he was gone when I got up--the c-cold wouldn't let me sleep, and when I went past his bunk I noticed...he's gone."

Dilandau frowned, "He _does_ get up early sometimes, you know."

"No..." Shesta bit his lip, looking down. "Capt. Ryuon w-went to see if he needed any help with the messenging this morning, and his office was locked from last night. He never got to it this morning, Sir."

A slow sort of dread was creeping its way up Dilandau's back, spreading into his chest. It wrapped its tendrils around his heart, and his voice seemed like someone else's as he asked, "Are you sure of this?"

Shaken once more as he remembered his morning, Shesta nodded. "W-we've searched for him, Sir. He's not in any of the places reserved for us. I-I'm reporting this because...Capt. Ryuon's doing today's messenging, so he can't. He should be by in awhile with the messages he's collected for you. I thought...you w-would want to know." _You know I love him,_ Dilandau thought, aching to get up and go find Gatti himself. However, he still had duties of his own to tend--maybe after Ryuon finished the messenging.

"Go get dressed," he murmured.

Shesta blinked at him, taken aback. "S-Sir?"

"Get out of your pajamas and into your uniform," Dilandau elaborated, scowling. "And expect to do a lot of running today."

The blonde bowed. "Yes, Sir." Quietly, he slipped out the door and off down the hallway--without boots on, his footfalls made no sound at all. After he had gone, Dilandau buried his face in his hands. _Gone. Is it because of me? Maybe after we exchanged such words he thinks that we can't work together anymore. Maybe he _hates_ me so much he can't stand the idea of working for me anymore..._ He sighed softly to the empty room, "Maybe he's right..."

--End Chapter 1

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SL: And here begins my first DS yaoi chapter-fic. Yatta!Don't worry,the chapters will get longer.Thanks for reading! Didja like it? If so, I implore you to review and tell me--it'll only take half a minute for you to make my entire day! And if ya don't like it, tell me why in a constructive fashion so I will know how my yaoi tastes differ from others'--it'll still make my day! Until next time, dewa, sayonara. 


	2. Pale Eyes Watching

_**Missing Something**_

**Chapter 2 -- Pale Eyes Watching**

By SlayerLove

SL: Yay, another chapter! I know that last chapter seemed fairly standard, with no plot elements you haven't already seen before. Now that the story's ball is rolling, so to speak, here comes the original stuff! I don't own Escaflowne, by the way. Enjoy!

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Later that day, Dilandau was torn between fuming and despairing. He had sent the Dragon Slayers out to search everywhere he could think of on the Vione, and had been checking places all over the flying fortress himself all day, and still no sign of Gatti. _What, did he abandon the military and run off with some other ex-soldier?_ The albino captain thought, gritting his teeth. As much as their last conversation had hurt, the thought of Gatti leaving him for someone else hurt worse...but with their relationship in tatters, what reason did the blonde really have to stay? _What the hell am I supposed to do?_ Dilandau wondered, frowning at the ranks of Dragon Slayers whom had assembled in his throne room, their latest search proving as fruitless as the ones before.

"Where _haven't_ we checked?" He asked at last; his voice seemed overly loud, with the solemn silence in the room. The Dragon Slayers glanced at one another uncertainly, before Shesta finally stepped forward.

"We...haven't checked the Guymelef bays yet, Sir," the blonde boy admitted softly. "I did check with the people on the bridge, though--no 'melefs, Alseides or otherwise, have left the bays since the day before yesterday. Because he couldn't have possibly left that way, we didn't check them in favor of more likely places." Dilandau frowned; the Guymelefs that had been deployed from the bays the day before yesterday had been him and the Dragon Slayers, out for a pre-sunrise training session. Gatti had been so sweet that day...Dilandau's heart still did a little flop-flip at the way the blonde had smiled at him before they had both climbed into their Alseides. Had that smile been pretend? Had he misinterpreted the emotion he thought he saw there? _Love should have an off switch,_ the albino thought, feeling a little throb in his chest at the unhappy thoughts.

"We'll check in the Guymelef bays, then--there are only so many places he could be on this ship," he forced steel into his voice, trying to conceal his inner worries behind an angry tone. The Dragon Slayers, for all the strength he always showed them, must have known that something was wrong--if one of _them_ had gone missing, he was be mad as hell, not searching frantically for them. Well, alright...he would search frantically for them _then_ be mad as hell at them. But they didn't know that, since no Dragon Slayer had really ever gone missing before.

Saluting, the small army heeded the 'we' he had said and waited for him to head for the door before following. He did so, sweatdropping a little as he realized it must have looked ridiculous to have so many of them trailing behind him. He turned abruptly, and some of the boys behind him had to lean backward so as to avoid a collision.

"Dalet, Shesta, Guimel, Migel and Viole, come with me," he frowned, "Everyone else, go check the places we've already checked again." With much saluting and a chorus of 'Yes, Sir!'s, the Dragon Slayers behind them scattered in all direction. The five boys he had named followed him out the door and down the hallway. Dilandau said nothing during the walk to the bays. _This is the last stone left unturned,_ he kept reminding himself. _If he's not in the bays, we've checked _everywhere_, and...he could be gone for good._ He refused to let himself think about that possibility anymore--at least, not in the presence of other people, because surely it would show on his face. He had to be prepared for the possibility, though...

When they reached the bays, the hallway seemed too still. Glancing up and down the insanely long path, Dilandau realized that the place was deserted. _That's not right...the bays are always bustling! What the hell is going on? Is _everybody_ going missing?_

A low rumbling sound echoed off of the walls, shattering the thick silence. Instantly wary, Dilandau placed a hand on the hilt of his katana, crimson eyes narrowing. _It came from the bays...I'm sure it did._ More rumbling noises and blowing came, loud breathing, now quite obviously eminating from the enormous nearby door leading into the bays. Abruptly, a 'whumph' echoed off of the bays' door--something was bumping into it. Something large.

The Dragon Slayers all glanced either at their captain or at the door. They were silent, but it was easy to tell from their expressions that they were waiting for him to tell them what to do. Frowning, Dilandau held up one gloved hand to signal that they hang back for a moment. He crept up to the door, himself, wishing that there was some way to see inside without opening it fully. _I shouldn't open it, really,_ he thought, frustrated. _It could be something that will get loose on the ship and cause a lot of trouble. It could even be a dragon!_ He hadn't thought of that. Perhaps one of the many external bay doors had been left open, and a dragon had flown inside. Now that he had some identity to relate to the creature, it didn't seem nearly as intimidating to open the door and see what it looked like--his unit was called the Dragon Slayers for a reason, after all. They could handle any of the reptilian beasts, he was sure.

On that note of certainty, he punched the open code into the large bays' door and watched cautiously as it slid open, hydraulics hissing as if in warning. Another rumble came from the room's inhabitant, and before Dilandau quite perceived what it was, he knew at least that something enormous was turning toward the door. It lurked behind one of the Alseides units that hung there in the hangar, a strange and massive creature with bumpy blackish green skin. _What the hell...?_ The albino's eyes widened--this was no dragon. It wasn't anything he'd ever seen before, either.

The thing was almost humanoid in shape, with two powerfully-built arms and five thick fingers on each immense hand. It was slightly larger than the Alseides beside it, and seemed strangely similar in body shape; its head was relatively small compared to its body, sunken down on a nearly non-existant neck between two hugely overbuilt shoulders that rippled with muscles beneath the dark, pebbly skin. Its feet were enormous, as well, with five clawed toes protruding from them, long legs that got thinner near the top, and a slender waist framed on either end by muscular thighs and a broad chest to match the huge shoulders. Tiny, beady green eyes with slitted pupils were set into its undersized head, and below them a jagged slit opened there, crooked teeth poking out as it made a loud rumbling growl.

Turning, the creature matched eyes with Dilandau, who was for the briefest moment too startled to respond. _It's a monster! There's nothing like this thing on Gaea--where did it _come_ from? Are the halls outside and the bays all empty because it ate everybody? _A brief little pause. _...Should we kill it?_ Before he could decide on that, though, the creature made a deafening sound like a roar and started towards him. With such long legs, it moved crazily fast--Dilandau barely had time to dart out of the bay and into the hall before it was where he had been standing. Loud, whiffling breaths came, and the Dragon Slayers wisely retreated further down the hall along with their captain when an enormous clawed hand reached out into the hall and scrabbled around. _It's too big to get out, _Dilandau realized, still a bit stunned.

"Dilandau-sama?" The albino was tugged away from his observations by Shesta's soft voice. The blonde's big blue eyes were full of concern, as he peered up at his captain and asked again, "Are you okay? It didn't hurt you, did it?"

"Yes, I'm fine," Dilandau answered with a frown, not taking his eyes off of the clawed hand that had ceased to search the hall. A low, mournful cry echoed down the hall, and the hand withdrew. _This isn't my problem, dammit..._ Turning, he told the Dragon Slayers shortly, "Stay here and watch it--do _not_ get close to it." With that, he started off down the hallway at a brisk pace.

"Dilandau-sama!" He recognized the voice as Migel's. "Where are you going, Sir?"

Without turning around, he picked up his pace. "To talk to the Strategos--I'm going to find out what the hell is going on around here!"

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"Folken!" Dilandau growled, pounding on the door to the man's study. "Can I come in? I need to talk to you _now_, dammit--it's important!"

"Come in, by all means," the Strategos' low voice drifted to his ears. Not needing further encouragement, the albino practically tore the door down, rushing inside and slamming it behind him. Immediately, he shivered--it was cold in there, very cold. He wouldn't have put it past Folken, knowing of the Vione's energy management problems, to turn down the thermostat of his office ten degrees or so.

"Folken, do you have any idea what's inside our Guymelef bays!"

Raising an eyebrow, Folken answered calmly, "Guymelefs would be a good presumption."

"_Besides_ those!" Dilandau scowled. Not waiting for an answer, he elaborated, "There's a _monster_ in there, some huge blackish thing. It tried to get me when I opened the door, but it couldn't fit through into the hallway! Why is it _there_?"

"...I wasn't aware of its presence until you informed me," the Strategos blinked, maroon eyes focused on the paper he had apparently been reading through when Dilandau had arrived. "Are you sure that it isn't some animal, a dragon or other flying creature, that could have somehow gotten in?"

"Do you think that I, captain of the _Dragon Slayers_, would be unable to recognize a damned _dragon_? This thing is unnatural--it's _humanoid_," Dilandau gritted his teeth, slapping both palms down on the desk and setting several of Folken's inkwells to jumping half an inch. "If _you_ don't know about it, who put it there! Can we get in our Guymelefs and kill it? You're in charge of the damned _ship_, you must know _something_!"

"I'm afraid not," Folken glanced upward and shot him a meaningful look; why, Dilandau wasn't sure. The younger of the two clenched his teeth to keep them from chattering--why was it so cold in there? "Seeing as I have no idea why or how it is there, for the moment I must insist that you do not attempt to kill it. I'll get the Madoushi on the job," he didn't seem to notice how the captain stiffened at mention of Zaibach's sorcerers as he added pointedly, "Unnatural creatures seem to be prevelent in their work, so they would know how best to deal with it. Stay away from the bays and continue your search for Leiutenant Commander Gatti elsewhere until it is dealt with."

_Oh, so that's how things are going to be, are they? 'This's a problem for the adults, Dilandau, so run along and play somewhere safer'? Like hell! Orders or no orders, I'm going right back down to those bays, and I'm going to get to the bottom of this whole mess!_ Determined as he was, he knew that disagreeing with Folken would only get him in trouble--and, perhaps, result in him being watched more closely than usual. He couldn't have that if he wanted to get down to the bays again--what if Gatti _had_ been in there, and this big monster had hurt him, or was keeping him trapped somewhere? _I won't allow that! He's _my_ Dragon Slayer, and I say that he should be with the rest of the unit!_

With these thoughts going through his head, it was fairly easy for him to look adequately frustrated as he asked Folken through gritted teeth, "And what if Gatti's in the _bays_?" _I would never usually accept such an order so easily--I can't make it look like I'm agreeing wholeheartedly or anything, or he might get suspicious._

"If he is, I am sure that he has enough sense to get inside one of the Guymelefs or hide in some nook where it can't reach him," Folken answered coolly, evidently unconcerned with the youth's angry state--Dilandau was angry an awful lot, so he supposed that people were used to it, but it _was_ a tad frustrating that people were beginning to stop taking his feelings of frustration seriously. Didn't they know that he had _reasons_ for being angry? _Likely, they couldn't give a damn._ With a tired little sigh, Folken allowed, "I'll have the Madoushi check into the whole creature business promptly--once it has been removed, you may look for Gatti in the bays. Until then, search elsewhere."

"_Fine_," Dilandau hissed, doing his best to look horribly frustrated over the Strategos saying exactly what he'd wanted to hear. Without another word, he turned and stomped out the door, slamming it behind him. _Dammit...we dont know why it's there, _Folken_ doesn't know why it's there, and now the _Madoushi_ are going to be mixed up in it too? We've searched the whole ship--Gatti _has_ to be in the bays if he's still onboard at all. If he's in there, I have to find him...I have to get to him before it hurts him!_ He hurried back toward the bays--now, the argument they'd had seemed silly and small. Now the only thing that mattered was getting Gatti back alive and unharmed.

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As soon as the door slammed shut, Folken sighed, resting his forehead on one palm. From the shadows in the room, the head Madoushi, Talize, seemed to glide rather than walk. He paused beside Folken's desk.

"Wonderful performance, Strategos," he murmured in monotone, pale teal eyes sliding over to regard the green-haired man sidelong. His voice sounded as detached and lifeless as his facial expression--though he was human in form, there was no twinge of humanity in his inflection or mannerisms.

"You of all people should know your own subject," the Strategos answered evenly, not looking up. "I didn't tell him that it was an experiment of yours, but he doesn't need to hear it from me to know."

"We have tested his mind extensively," Talize droned, pale gaze drifting carelessly toward the closed door. "He is not psychic--he cannot know. And, with your order to stay away from the bays, he will not find out."

"Perhaps not," Folken answered, his voice as cold as the air in the room, "Perhaps so. I suggest that you finish with your experiment, Talize--the bays cannot be vacant for you forever."

"Of course." Talize's pale eyes peered at him, an unspoken threat in them--Dilandau was not to be told the truth while Folken thought that the Madoushi weren't watching. "Of course..."

--End Chapter 2

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SL: Yatta, Chapter 2 and the plot's a-thickenin':Smiles: I was trying to take a less stereotypical slant by making the Madoushi sort of like Zaibach's mafia--if they want something done, they'll coerce even a high-ranking individual like Folken into doing it. And where _is_ Gatti? Next chapter, you'll find out... Review, pretty please :Snuggly squishy shiny-puppy-eyed chibi look at you: Thanks so much for reading:Heart: 


	3. A Monster's Tears

**Missing Something**

**Chapter 3 -- A Monster's Tears**

By SlayerLove

SL: Here we are at chapter 3. I know the storyline is probably a tad predictable--I'm doing my best to plan the ending so that it is more original. :Sweatdropping smily: I don't own Escaflowne, and I've been changing the formatting of the title every chapter, not that anybody's probably noticed...LOL--hope you enjoy the story!

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The stomping of Dilandau's crimson boots told the Dragon Slayers that he had returned long before he came into view. They were somewhat surprised at how fast the steps were going, though—when the albino came running around the corner, they literally stared at him.

"Welcome back, Dilandau-sama," Shesta said a bit worriedly.

"Lord Dilandau, what did the Strategos say about this thing?" Migel asked more impatiently, jerking his chin toward the bay door to indicate the creature. "What is it?"

"He didn't know," Dilandau replied distractedly, craning his neck to try and see what the monster through the open door was doing. _No need to tell them Folken ordered me not to go near here when I don't plan on obeying it, anyway…hey!_ The incredulous afterthought was aimed at the creature; it stood in the bay, clutching the hand of _his_ Guymelef in one of its massive, clawed ones, and staring down at it as if lost in thought. "You!" The albino shouted, causing the Dragon Slayers around him to jump slightly, "Get the hell away from my machine!"

The creature turned at the sound of his voice, uttering several garbled rumbles from its slitted mouth as it did so. _Ugh…why the hell would this sort of thing exist?_

Shooting it a somewhat disgusted glare, Dilandau shouted across the bay, "Touching my Guymelef isn't allowed! At least not for damned ugly monsters like you—get away from it right now!"

The immense creature was silent for a heartbeat, and then, slowly, it released the Alseides' arm it had been gripping and began to examine its own hand instead, moving the clawed fingers. _What the…? _Dilandau was glad the thing had let go of his Guymelef, but was a bit perplexed as to what it was doing now.

Pressing one hand to its flat face, the monster uttered a weaker rumble, then, to the startlement of the humans watching, it sank down to its knees, moaning and covering its face with both hands. There it remained, making what could only be described as whimpering sounds.

Dilandau and the Dragon Slayers stared.

_Wh-what the hell…is it doing? It can't be…but…_ It _did_ seem impossible, but the emotion the creature was expressing reminded him undeniably of a person crying. _It's _crying_? How the hell can a monster cry? And besides, _why_ would it cry? It's not like it can be unused to being called ugly all the time!_

"M-maybe we should check the other places for Gatti a-again and then come back here," Shesta suggested uneasily, unable to tear his blue eyes away from watching the creature's strange behavior.

Dilandau was about to reply, but the creature turned at Shesta's words, gazing out at them with its beady little eyes. _Can it understand what we're saying...?_ The albino wondered, startled again at the reaction. As the group watched warily, the creature slowly crawled over toward the door, looking straight at them as it came. It was almost like…it was moving slowly so that it didn't scare them away. When it reached the doorway, it peered through at them but made no attempts to grab at them like before.

The warmth of its whiffling breathes ruffled Dilandau's hair as he frowned up at it. The Dragon Slayers kept their distance, but their captain was more bold; he wanted answers, and since it seemed to understand…

"You," he addressed the immense creature in an irritated tone of voice he usually reserved for subordinates, "Can you understand what I say?" _If it can't, it'll just stare blankly…which is probably what will happen._

Much to his surprise, however, the thing bobbed its tiny head on the nearly nonexistent neck in an unmistakable nod. _Well. It's obviously more intelligent than I give it credit for, I guess. And Folken's story is suspicious, then, too—he'd know if something this huge and ugly and intelligent existed, much less whether it was aboard the ship!_ _But why the hell _is_ it here?_

A whimpering sound came from the beast again, drawing his attention back to the present. Blinking at its hideous face, he sweatdropped. It seemed absurd, but if he really wanted to know, and this thing could understand him…why not just ask it?

Testily, he did just that.

"Why are you here?" _In the bay, on the _Vione_, in _existence_…_ He didn't specify which he meant, wanting the answers to any and all of them anyway. The thing's reply, however, still stopped him dead. Looking at its clawed fingers and whimpering again, it then raised one hand to its face…in an unmistakable salute. A Zaibach army salute.

Stunned, Dilandau just stared at it for a moment. _No…no, no, I _must_ be wrong…_ A frightening idea was beginning to occur to him. Too frightening to be true. _It can't be—maybe it's a secret weapon, and its been trained to salute like that. Maybe…_

Biting his lip, he asked more softly, "Do you…know where Gatti is?" _Please be wrong, please don't know…_

As if on cue, the thing nodded its tiny head again.

"Where," he whispered, thinking that he already knew the answer this time. _It can't be…but, h-how else could it know so much…?_

What he was thinking was awful…but, somehow, the thing managed to surpass even that horror, when in response to his question it only cried again and pointed to itself.

--End Chapter 3

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SL: Waaah, it's been soooo long since I've written on this poor fic! .; So very sorry—gomen ne, gomen neeee! –Bows in apology to….empty space, since barely anybody ever read this thing in the first place and probably nobody does now…but oh well….—Anyhow, there we have the predictable part. . Now let's see if you can guess what'll happen _next_….

…While you're doing that, what not review? 3 I'd be oh-so-happy if you did! Thanks for reading, and (if you do, that is!) reviewing!

SlayerLove, lover of Dragon Slayer yaoi…and artist of it, too! Come see her DS/Esca yaoi piccies at www .slayerlove .deviantart .com(Remove spaces before periods)Most recent pic: A gorgeous shirtless Shesta/Viole piece. (Grinz)


	4. Mute, But Not Paralyzed

**_---M-I-S-S-I-N-G—S-O-M-E-T-H-I-N-G---_**

**Chapter 4 – Mute, But Not Paralyzed**

By SlayerLove

SL: -Waves- Hi again. Guess what? I don't own Escaflowne! . Isn't that interesting. –Cough- Okay, so it isn't. Well, hopefully you find this chapter to be interesting, anyhow. Read on and enjoy. -Heart-mark-

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There was a tense silence in the hallway. 

_Please believe me...it's me,_ Gatti thought miserably, peering down at that pale, beautiful person he had missed so terribly. Dilandau looked so tiny right now...he stared upward, emotions whirling about in those garnet eyes like a flame in the wind.

Gatti was still confused, himself, about what had happened to leave him like this. He had gone to sleep in the barracks only to awaken in a dark room; the thought of needles in his skin made him shiver again now. There had been many. It had been painful...he had blacked out.

_And when I woke up, I was here, and I was..._this

After a moment, the Dragon Slayer stopped pointing at himself, slumping a little. _I'm not sure Lord Dilandau believes it, though. Please, sir...you have to trust me, y-you're everything...if I don't have you, I have nothing left at all._

Dilandau's expression shifted slightly, masking confusion behind a stern frown once more. He did that a lot, Gatti knew—Dilandau wasn't open with his emotions by any means, not unless they were glee at destroying things or frustration. But the softer ones, the more vulnerable ones, like love...

_...What if this is permanent?_

There came that mournful cry again; it seemed he made it automatically when upset, because he wasn't doing it on purpose. It was so frightening, though, thinking that he would stuck in this hideous body for the rest of his life, that he could never speak again to tell Dilandau what he wanted to say...that he wouldn't ever be considered _human_ anymore.

As slowly as he could, so as not to seem threatening, he reached one immense hand through the doorway and toward Dilandau's silvery hair. _Lord Dilandau, if only I could touch you...

* * *

_

_Gatti...how the hell could this...this _thing_ be Gatti?_ Dilandau was so gripped by the disturbing information he had just learned that he didn't notice the black claws near his face until they paused there, held eerily in mid-air before him.

The monster—_Gatti¸ _he shakily reminded himself—made a rumbling cry that set the floor and walls to trembling, turning its hand over so that the palm faced upward and placing it at Dilandau's feet.

_It...he...wants me to just step onto his hand? Is he crazy?_ The albino frowned and shook his head.

"I don't think so—how can I be _sure_ you're Gatti, anyway? You have no proof. Maybe you're just a well-trained animal, for all the hell I know!"

The Dragon Slayers, who had come forward when the hand had neared him in case they could try their best to protect him from the claws, now glanced at each other thoughtfully.

How _could_ they verify that it was really Gatti?

If they could, did they really want to...?

* * *

_I'm _me_—how can I say that without any words?_ Words had always come easily to Gatti; that was why he had become a messenger in the first place. They had never failed him before—hell, even at the times he couldn't speak, he had been able to hand-write out what he wanted to say. 

Now neither option was available.

_Maybe...maybe one of them _is_, though!_ The blonde boy—at least, he was still thus in his mind—realized. _I have _claws_, don't I? A pen would be useless at this point, anyway!_

Withdrawing his hand abruptly, he felt a twinge of guilt as everyone in the hallway flinched, but didn't dwell on it too much; instead, he focused as best he could on making his huge fingers do what he wanted them to do. This form didn't have the best small motor movements; it felt clumsy, ungainly, as if all he was really made for now was smashing and tearing things apart.

_...Which is probably true..._ He thought, resting the tip of a single claw on the floor and very slowly, deliberately scratching out a letter in it; the metal seemed much weaker when one was this immense. The surface gave almost as soon as it was pressed!

* * *

Much as Dilandau wanted to deny it, it was difficult to believe that the thing _wasn't_ Gatti when it could write in his calligraphy. It was shaky and strained, the letters tilting slightly in the wrong directions and some capitals used in the middle of words because they consisted of more straight lines that were easy to scratch out, but the ways in which the letters were formed were unmistakably familiar. And if the hand hadn't convinced him, what the message read made things painfully clear. 

'_I AM inFErIor As pErsoN ArEN't I?_' The scratches read, their writer again making that whimpering sound that was its only tears.

"...Gatti..." His carefully-composed scowl slipped, as those last words he'd told the blonde flashed through his mind. _No one else could know that! It _is_ Gatti, isn't it?_

"Inferior...?" Shesta asked confusedly, peering down at the scratches. Dilandau ignored him, though, struck by the situation all over again. _The Madoushi—they're the only way he could be turned into this monster...! DAMN them!_

He stepped forward, well within the claws' reach, and looked up at the hideous new face of the one they had been searching for.

"Put that hand down here again!"

* * *

He looked hurt, as Gatti had expected. He hadn't really wanted to stir up the memories of their falling out, but it was the surest way to prove his identity—no one else had been there, and he was certain that Dilandau hadn't talked about an argument like that with anyone else. 

_And now he wants me to put my hand down there again...does that mean he believes me?_ It was hard to tell...but it seemed like a good chance. Turning his hand palm-up again, he placed it on the floor before the albino, looking down at the floor in front of himself. _What are we going to do...? He...doesn't hate me...or he wouldn't still look sad when I mention what he said to me... But, I'm not _human_ anymore! How could he love this thing I am now? How could anybody...?_

He was surprised at how little weight pressed in when Dilandau stepped onto his palm; the size difference was staggering, and it made the pale boy seem very fragile, somehow...he was one of the strongest people that Gatti knew, but still..._ He's so tiny now._..

He slowly raised the hand up to bring it level with his face, wishing badly that he could speak. _I love you, sir! You can feel it, can't you? You know I'm still me inside now, right...?_

When he was near enough to speak and not be heard by the others below, Dilandau leaned in close enough nearly to touch his face, with a somewhat stiff frown on but tears in his eyes as well.

"I never believed it even when I said it—don't you _dare_ believe it now!"

--End Chapter 4

* * *

SL: The plot's moving now...I apologize for not posting any updates in so long. The truth is I'm sort of a slow writer once I'm continuing a fic instead of just starting it out, so it takes a lot more effort for me. I'll do my best to finish this one, though, because the story won't leave me alone, and because you guy said you'd like to see more of it. .; Please review and tell me what you think—I've added Gatti's point of view in here, and it switches around a lot. Does that work? Do you think it's too awkward? 

Thank you for reading and reviewing! -Insert heart-mark here-

SlayerLove


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